Minolta
Minolta (ミノルタ, minoruta) was a Japanese company that, under one name or another, manufactured cameras from 1929 to 2003. It produced cameras for virtually all film formats, even its own 16mm miniature film format. In the 1950s Chiyoda, as it was then called, ventured beyond production of cameras and binoculars into business services, especially photocopiers. Most branches of the company were related to optics: the copier branch, the exposure meter branch, etc. Minolta was succeeded by Konica Minolta after the merger with Konica in 2003. abbreviated illustrated contents table : History http://static.flickr.com/52/131984802_963f6af8b8.jpg Chiyoda Kogaku, the company name from 1937 to 1962 Minolta, although once counted among the "big five", has often been thought of as a second-ranking camera manufacturer in the photography world, a step below Nikon and Canon. But it has sometimes been in the first rank. The Minolta SRT 101 was the world's best selling camera of its type in its time, as were the Minolta X-700 and the Minolta 7000. For five years beginning in 1985 Minolta was the biggest seller of SLR cameras in the world. The reason for this dominance was the release of its Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum system; the world's first "in-body" autofocus SLR. Before this time manufacturers had dabbled with lenses that focused themselves but that fitted their existing, manual-focus SLR cameras. Minolta was the first manufacturer to put the mechanism and electronics for the autofocus system into its SLR camera bodies and so the modern SLR was born. (Konica had been the first to put autofocus into a 35mm camera, but it was a fixed lens "compact" camera; and Polaroid had been the first to put autofocus into an SLR camera, but it neither was 35mm nor was an interchangeable lens design.) 1929–1970 This huge success was not foreseeable in 1928, when Kazuo Tashima founded Nichidoku Shashinki Shōten (日独写真機商店, means Nippo-German Camera Shop), based in Osaka. It seems that the address of the company in 1934 was Ōsaka-shi Higashi-ku Kita-kyūtarō-machi 3-chōme 15-banchi Mishina Building (大阪市東区北久太郎町三丁目十五番地三品ビルヂング内). This has been found on a patent filed for the Crown E shutter equipping the original Semi Minolta, reproduced in Classic Camera Senka n°12, p. 19. Indeed Tashima got support from the German camera technicians Billy Neumann and Willy Heilemann, and the first cameras needed parts and lenses from German manufacturers. In 1929 the company had managed to produce the first models of its Nifcalette camera series. In 1931 the company was transformed into a stock corporation named Molta Gōshi-gaisha (モルタ合資会社), where Molta is an abbreviation of the German "Mechanismus Optik und Linsen von Tashima" ("Mechanism, Optics and Lenses by Tashima"). Francesch, p. 19, says that he found this in original documents. The name Minolta was first used in 1933, for the Minolta I (or plain "Minolta"), a copy of the Plaubel Makina I. This was ostensibly from "Mechanismus, Instrumente, Optik und Linsen von Tashima" ("Mechanism, Instruments, Optics and Lenses by Tashima") but is more likely a backronym, inspired by (i) minoru ta (稔る田), "ripening rice-fields" (a strong image of health and fruitfulness in Japan, and in Japanese pronounced identically to "Minolta"), and (ii) "Molta" itself. For example this Japanese page wonders if minoru ta was adapter from moru ta written 盛る田. The company name and brand name would differ until 1962. In 1934 the Minolta Vest was the first Minolta which differed from average camera designs. In 1936 Minolta's first reflex camera appeared, the Minolta Flex for 6×6 on 120 film. http://static.flickr.com/99/285057418_1312a226c5_t.jpg Semi Minolta IIIB The company name was again changed in 1937, to Chiyoda Kōgaku Seikō K.K. (千代田光学精工株式会社, means Chiyoda Optics and Precision Industry Co., Ltd), sometimes abbreviated Chiyoko (千代光). In the same year, Chiyoda began manufacturing its own lenses. During the world war it also produced cameras for aerial reconnaissance photography. The company's first big innovation after the war was the introduction of lens coating in 1946: the Rokkor 75/3.5 lens equipping the Semi Minolta III was the first Japanese coated lens commercially available, and it was also the first lens made by the company for civilian cameras. According to this page of the Konica Minolta official website. In 1950, Minolta released the Konan-16 Automat, a subminiature camera that used its own 16mm film format. http://static.flickr.com/45/152086592_b51e58409c_t.jpg The SR-1 succeeded the SR-2 In 1957 Chiyoda began to produce planetarium projection apparatus, optical machines which project all the visible stars of the night sky onto the ceilings of planetarium halls. In 1958 it took the first step towards its success with SLR cameras in the mid-80s by introducing its first 35mm SLR camera SR-2, the first one to combine several features of the modern SLR like pentaprism viewfinder, smooth mirror mechanics, easily exchangeable lenses, easy film transport etc. In 1959 Chiyoda started to produce photocomposing machines, copiers, and special projectors. Some of these activities (like copiers) are kept up nowadays by its successor Konica Minolta, although this has given up the photo business. In 1962 the company name became Minolta Camera K.K. (ミノルタカメラ株式会社, means Minolta Camera Co.), unified with the brand name. In 1964 Minolta began the production of highly sophisticated light meters. Cooperation with Leitz Before the era of the Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum SLRs, Minolta had a new phase of cooperation with German experts, and signed a cooperation agreement with Leitz in June 1972. Date: Francesch, p. 179. The first products resulting from this appeared in 1974: the Minolta XE SLR and the Leica CL rangefinder camera (sold in Japan as the Leitz Minolta CL). The XE was the basis for the 1977 Leica R3. The final result of the association with Leitz was the Minolta XD-11 (the same as XD-7, and the basis of the Leica R4). It was the first 35mm SLR camera combining both aperture priority and shutter priority automatic exposure modes. Many Rokkor lenses of the new MD series, usable in both automatic modes, were produced for this exciting camera. In 1981, Minolta launched the CLE, a rangefinder camera with M-mount, the first one to have (aperture-priority) automatic exposure. The metering system was of the "TTL OTF" type (through the lens, reflected off the film), first introduced by Olympus in 1975 on the OM-2 SLR camera. The CLE was also the first Minolta camera to have TTL flash automation, together with the X-700 SLR introduced the same year. After the heady days of the XD/XE series, the X-700 marked a definite return to the amateur-level market. While the new camera had TTL flash, it was equipped with only a 1/60th sec. maximum flash synch and an ordinary cloth horizontal-travel shutter, and the interior mechanisms utilized more cost-saving plastics. With a large investment in a new autofocus SLR design, Minolta decided to withdraw from building professional-level manual-focus SLR cameras. After this cooperative era of Minolta the company's founder Kazuo Tashima stepped down as president of the company in 1982. His son Hideo Tashima became his successor. Kazuo Tashima stayed in the company as chairman of the board until his death in the age of 85 in the year 1985. Another era that ended. Automation http://static.flickr.com/118/284258295_83978fbfc2_t.jpg A bayonet The Minolta 7000 AF SLR camera was introduced in 1985. The camera had a revolutionary design, with an advanced autofocus, liquid crystal screen display, built-in film winder, and a body built largely of plastics. Unlike other manufacturers, Minolta invested much of its resources in the new autofocus cameras, at the expense of its manual focus SLRs, which were repositioned as amateur level cameras. Minolta did not hang on to its technological lead for long as Canon and Nikon both introduced new autofocus designs of their own, with a wide array of new lenses and professional bodies. Minolta in turn tended to concentrate on the affordable end of the SLR market, and sought revolutionary rather than evolutionary changes. Among camera aficionados, Minolta was known both for its very high price/performance ratio - and its constantly changing array of new models. http://static.flickr.com/18/22827038_25e2d619d6_t.jpg 600si classic Minolta continued to innovate. After popularizing the plastic-bodied, push-button-controlled SLR with the AF 7000, and a relatively unsuccessful line of complex 35mm SLRs with a electronic 'expansion card' feature, the company moved towards a more traditional user interface in the mid-90s with the 600si Classic. This interface was carried forward into its popular pro-level Minolta Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum 9 and later, the Maxxum 7. Unfortunately for Minolta, its autofocus design was found to infringe on the patents of Honeywell, a U.S. corporation. After protracted litigation, Minolta in 1991 was ordered to pay Honeywell damages, penalties, trial costs and other expenses in a final amount of 127.6 million dollars. Like other camera manufacturers, Minolta faced difficulties in building low-priced, consumer level cameras, though its emphasis on this sector of the market may have affected the company more than some other brands. The company was one of the first to offshore production of its cameras from Japan to Malaysia, China, and other countries offering less expensive labor costs. Minolta occasionally redesigned parts in existing models with less expensive materials, or introduced new, less expensive designs, all in an effort to cut costs. The company began offering consumer-level digital cameras in the late 1990s. With the DiMage X, Minolta solved the problem of the protruding optical zoom lens on pocket digicams. Its folded lens design allows an optical zoom lens to be totally contained within the body of the camera. This makes the cameras that use this design truly pocketable, faster to turn on and better protected from knocks and damage. Minolta has been criticized for its slowness to bring out a modern digital SLR camera compatible with the Dynax/Alpha-mount lenses. In late November 2004, the new Konica Minolta company finally released the much anticipated Konica Minolta Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum 7D Digital SLR and the innovation continued. What sets the 7D DSLR apart from the competition is the built-in image stabilization which works with any electronic autofocus lens attached to the camera body. Konica joins Minolta In October 2003 Minolta merged with Konica to form Konica Minolta. All new cameras after that time were badged as Konica Minolta, although, with reference to camera designs, Minolta remained the dominant partner. Too Little, Too Late ... As of spring 2006, Konica Minolta has withdrawn from the camera business entirely. The digital camera manufacturing assets have been acquired by Sony, but film camera production is ceasing, and the film and mini-lab divisions are set to close within a year. Konica Minolta now is solely a business servicer with no photo division. Notes Digital DSLR * RD-175 using standard Minolta A-mount autofocus lenses * RD-3000 using the Minolta V-mount lenses of the Vectis APS SLR newer cameras, see Konica Minolta (Dynax/Maxxum 5D and Dynax/Maxxum 7D) Fixed Lens Minolta and Konica Minolta use the Dimage nameplate on all the fixed lens digital cameras. All have an auto-focus zoom lens. http://static.flickr.com/30/44563124_d4d0bf41f1_t.jpg * Minolta DiMage V * Minolta DiMage 5 * Minolta Dimage 7 * Minolta Dimage 7Hi * Minolta Dimage 7i * Minolta Dimage F300 * Minolta Dimage Xt * Minolta Dimage E323 newer cameras, see Konica Minolta 35mm film Autofocus SLR http://static.flickr.com/19/22827037_1c2a05c38e_t.jpg The Minolta Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum (Alpha in Japan and China, Maxxum in the Americas, Dynax in Europe, Africa and Asia) is a line of 35mm film SLR cameras built from 1985 to 2000 - some "new old stock" may still be available. The lenses and flash accessories for these are not compatible with the previous Minolta SR, SR T, and X-series of manual focus 35mm film SLR cameras, lenses and flashes. Many of these models are alternatively labeled Alpha, Dynax or Maxxum and only a few model numbers are location-specific where an equivalent model number in another area of distribution uses another model number: : If anyone knows of additional models and or knows which of these are equivalent across the Alpha/Dynax/Maxxum divide, please pitch in! Note that early models were also named "AF". Manual focus SLR http://static.flickr.com/34/71788872_328925c967_t.jpg : 1) 3rd area: Minolta used this expression to indicate all other export markets than north America and Europe. 2) Taken from Minolta Fifty Years Chronicle (Minolta, November 1978) and "70 Jahre Minolta Kameratechnik" (Scheibel, 1999, ISBN 3-89506-191-3). 3) The Minolta ER was a fixed lens SLR and thus not part of the Minolta SR system. Rangefinder, interchangeable lens * Minolta 35 * Minolta 35 II * Minolta 35 IIB * Minolta Super A * Leitz Minolta CL * Minolta CLE Rangefinder, fixed lens http://static.flickr.com/53/128897668_bef0e6b667_t.jpg * Minolta A * Minolta A2 * Minolta A2 LT * Minolta A3 * Minolta A5 * Minolta AL * Minolta AL2 * Minolta ALS * Minolta ALE * Minolta AL-F * Minolta 24 Rapid (16 24x24mm exposures on 35mm film) * Minolta Electro Shot * Minolta Hi-Matic 11 * Minolta Hi-Matic 7 * Minolta Hi-Matic 7s * Minolta Hi-Matic 7sII / Revue 400SE * Minolta Hi-Matic 9 * Minolta Hi-Matic CS * Minolta Hi-Matic E * Minolta Hi-Matic ES * Minolta Hi-Matic F * Minolta Hi-Matic FP * Minolta HiMatic / Ansco Autoset * Minolta Minoltina AL-S * Minolta Minoltina-S * Minolta Uniomat / Ansco Anscoset * Minolta Uniomat II * Minolta Uniomat III / Ansco Anscoset III * Minolta V2 * Minolta V3 Viewfinder * Minolta Autowide * Minolta f12 * Minolta F35 Big Finder * Minolta Freedom I * Minolta FS-E II * Minolta Hi-Matic 5 * Minolta Hi-Matic C * Minolta Hi-Matic CSII * Minolta Hi-Matic G * Minolta Hi-Matic G2 * Minolta Hi-Matic GF * Minolta Hi-Matic S * Minolta Hi-Matic S2 * Minolta Hi-Matic SD * Minolta Hi-Matic SD2 * Minolta Memo * Minolta Minoltina-P * Minolta Repo (half-frame) * Minolta Repo-S (half-frame) Compact http://static.flickr.com/47/136586974_8942798975.jpg * HI-MATIC AF * HI-MATIC AF-2 * AF-DL / FREEDOM DL * WEATHERMATIC 35 DL * ZOOM 60 * RIVA ZOOM 75 w / FREEDOM ZOOM 75w * RIVA ZOOM 90 EX / FREEDOM ZOOM 90 EX * RIVA ZOOM 105i / FREEDOM ZOOM 105i * RIVA ZOOM 110 / FREEDOM ZOOM 110 * RIVA ZOOM 115 EX / FREEDOM ZOOM 115 EX * RIVA ZOOM 130 / FREEDOM ZOOM 130 * RIVA ZOOM 140 EX / FREEDOM ZOOM 140 EX * RIVA ZOOM 150 / FREEDOM ZOOM 150 and a lot more like that newer Minolta zoom cameras, see Konica Minolta Smaller film formats 126 film * Minolta Autopak 400-X * Minolta Autopak 500 / Ilford Monarch / Revuematic 500 * Minolta Autopak 550 * Minolta Autopak 600-X * Minolta Autopak 700 * Minolta Autopak 800 * Revere 3M Automatic 1034 APS film SLR * Vectis S-100 * Vectis S-1 APS film compact http://static.flickr.com/119/271906455_647ee64e60_t.jpg * Vectis 20 * Vectis 25 * Vectis 30 * Vectis 40 * Vectis GX-2 * Vectis GX-3 * Vectis GX-4 waterproof camera * Vectis 260 * Vectis 300 * Vectis 300L * Vectis Weathermatic Zoom underwater camera * Vectis 2000 * Vectis 3000 16mm film SLR * Minolta Auto-Zoom-X 16mm film subminiature * Konan-16 Automat * Stereo Konan-16 * Minolta-16 * Minolta 16 Automat * Minolta 16 Cds * Minolta 16 EE * Minolta 16 EE2 * Minolta 16 II * Minolta 16 MG * Minolta 16 MGS * Minolta 16 P * Minolta 16 Ps * Minolta 16 QT * Minolta Sonocon 16 MB-ZA Disc film * Minolta ac 101 Courrèges * Minolta ac 301 Courrèges * Minolta Disc-5 * Minolta Disc-7 * Minolta Disc-S * Minolta Disc-K 110 film SLR * Minolta 110 Zoom SLR * Minolta 110 Zoom SLR Mark II 110 film pocket/compact http://static.flickr.com/79/271915282_a1c7c1e036_t.jpg * Pocket Autopak 200 * Pocket Autopak 250 * Pocket Autopak 270 * Pocket Autopak 430-E * Pocket Autopak 430-EX * Pocket Autopak 440-EX * Pocket Autopak 450-E * Pocket Autopak 450-EX * Pocket Autopak 460-T * Pocket Autopak 460-TX * Pocket Autopak 50 * Pocket Autopak 70 * Pocket Pak 40 * Pocket Pak 440-E * Pocket Pak 60 * Weathermatic A underwater camera 120 film 4.5×6 folding * Semi Minolta * Semi Minolta II * Auto Semi Minolta * Semi Minolta III A/B/C * Semi Minolta P 6×6 collapsible * Minolta Six 6×6 TLR http://static.flickr.com/120/289840904_527b37890f_t.jpg * Minolta Autocord * Minolta Autocord CDS I * Minolta Autocord CDS II * Minolta Autocord CDS III * Minolta Autocord I * Minolta Autocord II * Minolta Autocord III * Minolta Autocord L * Minolta Autocord MXS * Minolta Autocord MXV * Minolta Autocord RA * Minolta Autocord RB * Minolta Autocord RG * Minolta Autocord RI * Minolta Miniflex * Minoltacord * Minoltaflex * Minoltaflex Automat * Minoltaflex I * Minoltaflex II * Minoltaflex IIB * Minoltaflex III 127 film 4×6.5 folding * Nifcalette 4×6.5 collapsible * Minolta Vest (sometimes called Minolta Best or Minolta Marble) * Baby Minolta 4×4 TLR * Minolta Miniflex Plate film 6.5×9 folding bed * Nifca Klapp * Nifca Sport * Arcadia * Happy Hand * Happy Hand -- type S * Sirius 6.5×9 strut folding * Nifca Dox * Minolta * Auto Press Minolta Instant film http://static.flickr.com/38/97139926_cb28c3c39b_t.jpg * Minolta Instant Pro Bibliography * * * * Links Lists, overviews, product details collections In English: * Minman - site dedicated to all film, still, non-af Minolta cameras * Minolta Maxxum/Dynax overview page * Dennis Lohmann's site with several product overviews * The Minolta Users' Group, offering several overviews * Minolta cameras using 110 film in the Subclub website * Minolta at pbase * Minolta page at Collection G. Even's site In German: * German Minolta 35mm product overview In Japanese: * Minoltan website, with a history page showing all the Minolta logos * Syoji Nishida's site * List of cameras at the Konica Minolta official Japanese site * Minolta collection in the go-tatsu website Minolta Newsgroups, Blogs, Discussions * The unofficial Minolta User Forums! - English, German, French, Italian and Spanish * unofficial German forum for users of Minolta cameras, lenses and photo scanners * Dennis Lohmann's Rokkor Blog (German) * English user group Minolta Instruction and Service Manuals * Minolta manuals * Camerapedia page of Minolta related links * Instruction manuals (pdf or html) for Minolta cameras, flash units and light meters at www.orphancameras.com Category: Japanese camera makers Category: Japanese lens makers *